Have you heard about kinesiology tape aka kinesio tape or K-tape?  I recently was certified to properly use it.  I’ll bet many of you have already seen athletes wearing it in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games as well as in sports such as CrossFit and many others.

Television viewers the world over saw Kerry Walsh wearing K-tape on her injured right shoulder during the 2008 Olympic beach volleyball competition as she and partner Misty May went on to win their second gold medal.  Sportscasters wondered what this “medicated tape” was that looked like a wild tattoo until they realized exactly what it was.  Meanwhile, the Japanese men’s gymnastics team was making wide use of kinesiology tape during their competition.

Since 2012, the trend has continued and kinesio taping now finds widespread usage.  Applications include both health and fitness.  Even for tactical use by the military with active training and shooting as well as for use with horses and riders in equestrian sports!

Kinesio tape can be purchased by various vendors, but the quality varies widely.  The brand that I prefer and use exclusively in my office is RockTape which comes in assorted patterns and colors, but most importantly is stronger, stickier, more elastic and less likely to cause skin sensitivity than the competitors.

So what is K-tape anyway?  It’s an elastic tape designed to aid movement, reduce pain and swelling and prevent injuries.  It is not a brace.  It remains comfortable while wearing and can usually be left on for days in spite of getting wet after a shower or washing.

Rocktape is a blend of cotton and nylon fibers with an acrylic, latex-free, hypoallergenic medical adhesive.  It’s very different from traditional sports tape and Ace bandages by allowing stretch along it’s length but not it’s width, allowing it to contour around muscles and joints to facilitate an improved range of motion.

So how does Rocktape accomplish it’s lofty goal?  Through two major effects.

First it decompresses the skin and underlying tissues it is applied to.  Decompression has two effects.  It relieves pressure on free nerve endings and so can immediately reduce pain.  And it allows better circulation for healing and reduced swelling.

The second major effect of kinesiology taping is the stimulation it provides to sensory nerves in the skin and underlying tissues.  The skin and connective tissue underneath have sensory receptors for light and heavy touch, fine point discrimination, pain, temperature and pressure. Additionally, some of these nerve receptors help the brain to know where a body part is in static posture and during movement.  In other words, there is actually greater positional sense and coordination from the enhanced sensory stimulation of tape.

Additionally, this greater sensory stimulation also reduces pain according to the pain-gate effect in which the sensory feedback crowds out the pain signals to the brain.  Sensory receptors in the skin generally travel at much faster speeds than pain signals and so create an interference with or limitation of the pain.  This is why an injured body part feels better when you lightly rub the area.

In my office I have already used kinesio tape for plantar fasciitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, low back pain, knee pain, hip pain, wrist pain and enhancing athletic performance.  As you can see, almost any muscle or joint is a possibility.  It’s fun to do as I have a number of patterns and colors of tape to choose from.  In the future I’m sure I will use k-tape for arms, elbows, shoulders, postural improvement and possibly stroke rehab (by providing increased nervous system feedback of the affected arm or let to the brain).

I hope you enjoyed learning about kinesio tape and look forward to our next newsletter as well as seeing you at the office.

If you are interested in learning more about our office and the therapies I use, call today at 585-425-3626